Today I got #2 of the Twelve Caesars

That's the way it left the mint. Jere M. Wickens, in his essay, "The Production of Ancient Coins," written for Bearers of Meaning: The Otillia Buerger Collection of Ancient and Byzantine Coins at Lawrence University, notes that flans "were cast en chapelet, that is, using open or closed moulds in which a number of mould hollows were connected by channels." This resulted in a "runner" or sprue between the cast flans, which would be removed before striking. Sometimes, the process of breaking off the sprue removed a chunk from the flan's edge, leaving what is known as a "flan chip."

Your coin simply has some attached casting sprue. It's just a byproduct of the manufacturing process and it makes the coin interesting. Evidence of casting sprue removal is seen on this denarius at the 9:00 position on the obverse. I enjoy what is called "technical collecting" -- coins that demonstrate ancient manufacturing techniques.

 

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I would certainly agree that for Roman Imperial coins, the portrait is almost always the most important consideration given how similar (and, to be honest, rather boring) so many of the reverses can be. For Roman Republican coins, and for the most part for Roman Provincial coins (except perhaps for Syria) it's a very different story.

Here are my two favorite Vespasian portraits. The reverse is really interesting only on the second one, although it's nice to see Vespasian himself (supposedly) on the reverse of the first, rather than yet another generic deity just standing or sitting there.

The first one was among my earliest purchases when I began actively collecting ancient coins towards the end of 2017. Before that, I had bought less than ten over a 30-year period.

Vespasian AR Denarius 74 AD; Obv. Laureate head right, IMP CAESAR VESPASIANVS AVG / Rev. Vespasian seated right in curule chair, PON MAX TR P COS V. RIC II-1 702 (2007 ed.), old RIC II 177 (1926 ed.), RSC II 364, BMCRE 136. 19.1 mm., 3.432 g. (Purchased from Forum Ancient Coins, Dec. 2017. Ex. Gitbud & Naumann Auction 36 [4 Oct 2015], Lot 616).



Divus Vespasian AR Denarius, 80 AD Rome Mint. Obv. Laureate head right, DIVVS AVGVSTVS VESPASIANVS / Rev. Foreparts of two capricorns springing in opposite directions, supporting round shield inscribed S C; globe below. RSC II Vespasian 497 (ill.), RIC II-1 Titus 357 (2007), old RIC II Titus 63 (1926), Sear RCV I Titus 2569 (ill.), BMCRE Titus 129. 17 mm., 2.84 g., 6 h.

 

Nice ones Donna! I bet you got a much better deal on those than I got on mine xD.

I paid more for my Vespasian denarius than any other of my denarii up to this point.

 

Heres my Vespasian Denarius



Domitian Denarius



Augustus Denarius

 

Nice! I have Domitian too but still looking for a nice Augustus at a fair price.

 

Does anyone happen to know what “ITER” means on this coin?

It says “COS-ITER”, and I know “COS” means “Consul” but what is the “ITER” for?

 

Because it is slabbed. That Pax is one of the most common reverse types struck for Vespasian ... even in superb condition it is relatively inexpensive (or should be!).

Consul for the second time.

 

But I think all or most of her denarii and other ancient coins are slabbed, so that fact doesn't necessarily provide the explanation for its being so expensive.

 

I promise I’m not trying to be hostile or argumentative but from what I've seen I don't think that ANY Vespasian denarii are very cheap in near MS (mint state) condition.

I'm sure if I bought a Ch F or a VF Vespasian denarius of this type I probably could've gotten it for $150-$200 because there are ALOT more of them available in those lower grades.

According to the population reports there are less than 100 Vespasian denarii of all types combined that are graded Ch AU or better and when trying to buy coins with such small numbers in existence it tends to be expensive.


I also looked at the HA sold listings and based on those prices even though I overpaid a bit with my $700 bid I don't think I overpaid too much. From what I saw this coin is in the $650-$800 range in this condition.

Keep in mind that the fact that the bidding went up to $700 means that whoever was bidding against me was willing to pay $675 for it and the definition of what something is worth is what people are willing to pay for it.

Oh and thanks for letting me know about what ITER means. I'm so used to seeing "COS II" rather than "COS ITER" xD

 

That's true! They are all slabbed. I think my Quadrigatus is the only Roman I have that cost more.

I bid $700 on this Vespasian and I bid $1,000 on my Quadrigatus. After that my Ch AU Faustina the Younger denarius is the next most expensive at $400.

 

Beautiful coins @Gam3rBlake

Just as David said, I really do believe that you paid more for this coin cause it’s slabbed, compared to coins in the same quality that are not. I see this on the market all the time.
I’m not saying it’s a bad choice. You like the coins (just as I do) and the risk of buying a fake slabbed coin is very low. Probably they are also easier to sell if you want to make changes in your collection.

This is one of my Vespasian coins.

 

Thanks! Yours is awesome too!

Oh yeah I definitely agree 100% that I did indeed pay more for it being in the slab. That’s just how it is in the ancient coins market. Some people may not like it but it is what it is.

But I don’t think the slab made it like double or triple the price that it would fetch unslabbed. I think saying I paid around 30% more is probably a good estimate.

However it’s also true what you said about slabs having some benefits in terms of future sales and authenticity verification.

Yes it’s true NGC doesn’t “guarantee” their coins but they do still examine them closely and would never slab a coin they believed to be fake which to me is sort of like a thumbs up from NGC even if not guaranteed.


I just don’t have the knowledge or expertise to identify genuine from fakes when it comes to ancients so knowing that an expert at NGC gave the coin a thumbs up is reassuring even if it’s not backed by a guarantee.

I also like slabs because they are easy to stack in my safe and the slabs themselves do act as a sort of physical protection which allows me to let others hold (the slab) and examine the coin without fear of being dropped or getting skin oils on the coin.

If there is one thing I’ve learned it’s that if you give a small coin to someone who doesn’t know anything about coins and tell them to hold it by the edges…chances are they are going to drop it. xD

 

Wow €13 is an incredible bargain!

I’d take that all day. If you ever see 2 Augustus denarii for €13 let me know!

 

ITER is an abbreviation for ĭtĕro, which means to do a thing a second time, to repeat. Think of the English word reiterate.

 

That’s a great mnemonic! Re-ITER-ate. Now I’ll remember ^_^